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Catalonia's deposed leader said on Wednesday that a majority of Catalans might accept being part of a Swiss-style federal system in Spain, an apparent departure from the separatist bid for full independence.

"If Spain proposes a model like the one in Switzerland, I think that would be an idea we could work with and perhaps an idea that could convince the majority of Catalans," Carles Puigdemont said in an interview with Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

Switzerland is split into cantons or federal states that enjoy significant autonomy and independence.

And Puigdemont said that if Spain were organised along such lines, "there would be none of the problems there that we are seeing now."

Authorities in Bern said they had "taken note" of Puigdemont's intended visit.

"The Swiss and Spanish authorities are in contact... As a Spanish citizen, Mr Puigdemont is entitled to travel freely within the Schengen area. He is also at liberty to give political speeches with due respect for the Swiss legal system," a foreign ministry statement said.

The question of Catalonia was "an internal matter for Spain," the statement said.